Going Home, At Your Age? A Better Late Romance by Jacqueline Diamond
Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances Book 3
Publisher: K. Loren Wilson
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Her hidden past is about to explode!

Sara returns to her hometown for Christmas, to face her sisters—and the man she left behind—with a stunning secret. The baby she gave up for adoption years ago is having her own baby, and wants her to be the grandma.

Young, pregnant and feeling abandoned, Sara rebelled against everyone she knew, including the man she secretly loved. Now, about to celebrate her 50th birthday, can she finally claim the family that should have been hers, right old wrongs, and find the home she believed lost forever?

It’s never too late to fall in love.

I loved the realistic and nuanced way the narrator handled the adoption storyline. Adoption can be a complex topic even under the best circumstances. Some of the most interesting scenes to me were the ones that explored Sara’s memories of the past and the lifelong grief she felt at not being able to raise her daughter while still believing that choosing adoption was ultimately the right decision for both of them. It was also fascinating to see how Sara and Melina created their relationship once they were reunited. Of course sharing DNA with someone is part of what makes a family, but the emotional intimacy and deep bonds between a parent and child need to be slowly built up over time in cases such as these.

There were some times when I struggled to keep track of the large cast of characters even though I was already familiar with the majority of them. It would have been helpful for me as a reader to dive more deeply into the lives of a smaller number of characters instead of getting brief updates on everyone. In my opinion, there simply wasn’t enough space to show character development in most cases due to how many folks the narrator needed to reintroduce to the audience and explain what, if anything, had changed in their lives since she’d last seen them.

Just like in Don’t Be Silly! At My Age?, Ms. Diamond once again captured the essence of small-town life perfectly. Most of the characters had known each other for decades, and their shared histories popped up in all sorts of delightful ways. Sometimes old grudges resurfaced, while in other scenes they briefly remembered funny or touching moments from their youth that still affected how they interacted with each other in the present. I also appreciated the author’s willingness to explore the difficult portions of being surrounded by folks who have known each other since childhood. For example, it’s more difficult for people to reinvent themselves when they are constantly reminded of choices, they made many years ago. This is one of many reasons why I enjoy these characters so much, and I’m curious to see what might happen to them next if more is written about them.

This is the third instalment in a series. It can be read as a standalone work, but I’d wholeheartedly recommend going back and checking out the first two books if you enjoy this one and want to dig deeper into the backstory.

Going Home, At Your Age? was a heartwarming read.

Don’t Be Silly! At My Age? by Jacqueline Diamond
Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances Book 2
Publisher: K. Loren Wilson
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

At 54, the strong-minded nurse doesn’t believe in romance. At 60, the successful novelist is sure he knows all about it. They both have a lot to learn, mostly from each other!

Nurse Mandy Matchett dreams of writing a book. Why not take a class taught by her neighbor, mystery writer Richard Forbes, even though she finds him arrogant and her cat hates his dog? This outspoken duo is on course for a collision that will rock both their worlds.

Don’t Be Silly! At My Age? is the second book in the Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances series. Reviewers raved about Really? At Your Age?, which features Mandy’s sister, Dr. Cody Matchett. J. Molynick called it “…a riveting read! I finished it in a matter of a few hours.” Irene S. wrote, “This is a book that I will keep and reread again.”

Life is full of surprises.

The author did an excellent job of creating likeable and memorable characters whose realistic flaws helped to propel everything forward. I was honestly a little sad to say goodbye to them in the final scene. Even the characters who could occasionally be a little grumpy or flaky ended up winning me over. They felt like genuine people to me, and I wished I could have spent more time getting to know them. I’m now hoping to read the first book in this series and would love to continue on with it in the future if the author writes additional sequels as well.

My only piece of constructive criticism for this book involves a subplot about someone who may have meant Mandy harm. Of course I hoped for a peaceful resolution, but he had an understandable reason for being furious with her. I was fascinated by the growing conflict between them and wished more attention had been paid to developing this storyline after it was first mentioned. If that had been the case, I would have easily given this a full five-star rating as everything else about it was delightful.

This was such a tender but honest description of life in a small town. I grinned every time I discovered a new social, business, or familial connection between the characters. Just like in our world, everyone knew everyone else in this community, and there was no such thing as a secret. Yes, it could be a little insular at times, but that was perfectly normal for such a tight-knit and tiny community. I appreciated the fact that the author spent so much time describing the many different types of relationships everyone had with each other. It was absolutely perfect for the setting.

Don’t Be Silly! At My Age? was a well-rounded romance that I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read.